1 Thessalonians 1:9 (DBY)

Passage

for they themselves relate concerning us what entering in we had to you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 1:7 so that ye became models to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia:

1 Thessalonians 1:8 for the word of the Lord sounded out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith which [is] towards God has gone abroad, so that we have no need to say anything;

1 Thessalonians 1:9 for they themselves relate concerning us what entering in we had to you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,

1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to await his Son from the heavens, whom he raised from among the dead, Jesus, our deliverer from the coming wrath.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "themselves", "relate", "concerning", "entering", "turned", "idols", "serve", and "living". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "themselves" and "relate", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "for the word of the Lord sounded..." into verse 10's "and to await his Son from the...", so "themselves" and "relate" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "themselves" and "relate" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.